Croustades with Stewed Fruit
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the bread
Cut off the crust of the French roll and divide it into three equal portions.
With a sharp knife, cut out the middle of each portion to form a basket, ensuring no holes in the bottom.
Fry and serve
Heat a stewpan half full of fat until hot enough to color the bread instantly.
Immerse the croustades in the hot fat, frying one or two at a time for less than half a minute until golden.
Remove them with a wire spoon or skimmer and dry on paper.
Fill the croustades with stewed fruit and serve immediately.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- French roll
- Its day-old, drier crumb forms a sturdy basket that holds its shape when fried.
- Fat for frying
- Hot fat crisps and browns the bread's surface quickly, forming a golden shell.
- Stewed fruit
- Its moisture and sweetness fill the crisp basket and contrast with the fried bread.
The step that matters
Frying the croustades. The fat must be hot enough to color the bread instantly; if it is too cool, the bread absorbs grease and turns soggy instead of crisp and golden. Frying only one or two at a time keeps the fat hot.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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